Spending Undivided Time With Your Household This Christmas....And Avoiding Consumerism.

not my photo.
image  from http://wallpapers-xs.blogspot.com/

I have a huge issue with consumerism lately. I used to be one of those people who "shopped til you dropped", unfortunately that lead to excess stuff I didn't need, wasted money, and generally made me more unhappy than if I hadn't bought the items in the first place.

How many candles do you really need? What about the endless amounts of scented lotions that end up thrown out? Or the clothes that go unworn and end up donated or trashed ( please don't trash them!)? 

I just ran across this news report: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101276268

It appears that ToysRUs will be open 87 hours straight for shoppers to get their last minute shopping in.  It appears that Kohl's has decided to stay open for 100 hours straight. 

All of this happening after Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.
 Is all of this really necessary? 
Do we really need STUFF that badly, or are we all trying to fill a void?

 For many that void can be time that is uncomfortable around family and friends, others the over inflated ego that comes with giving an expensive presents, for others just the compulsive feeling to BUY BUY BUY.

 I get it. I understand. I broke the habit. I am STILL uncluttering from years ago due to the need for "just in case" items, and " I can't throw away because Aunt Sally gave me" presents.

Honestly, our time with our families gets interrupted so much through out the holidays. Wouldn't it be great to sit down with your kids on Christmas day? No phone calls, no clutter? Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy Christmas movies, a big breakfast, and bake a birthday cake for Baby Jesus?

The time you spend UNDIVIDED with your kids goes a long way, and they deserve it. The traditions you have with your children set the traditions they have with their children. I think that the love they feel will spread the love to their children and beyond.

Do we really need 100 hours of shopping without stop? Do we need to fight the crowds on Black Friday for the best deal? What are our children seeing and learning from this? What is  the take away message?

How loved can our children feel if we are sitting with our iPhone's glued to our ears or faces on the Christmas holiday? Sure, the texts and Merry Christmas's do give me a boost, but is it really necessary when I have already sent a card? Could talk to these people at other times? Do I need hour long phone chats while my child is playing on the floor? How is that condusive to family time?

These things all swim through my mind this season.
  To my loved ones: You may not get a Merry Christmas text on Christmas day this year, if you call it may go unanswered until it is convenient for ME. It is nothing personal, I am just playing with my daughter and her new kitchen, or finally getting a few minutes to sit with my Hubby who has a day off. Maybe we are in the middle of cooking dinner or watching a Christmas movie.

You won't see us rush to a ton of stores. You won't see us in the return lines either. You won't hear us worried about our wishlist or what we did/didn't get for Christmas either. 

We are the ReInvented Household. We call ourselves ReInvented for a reason. We are ReInventing our lives, and asking others to join us. We want to have better relationships with each other, our child, and YES our family and friends. One on one time is so much more important than the hustle & bustle. It is so much more important than the presents.

Ok, so you are uncomfortable at a family gathering?  Play a game instead.  Do you really need presents to connect? Chances  are you hate that ugly sweater anyway, and the gift you are giving someone else probably isn't their cup of tea either. Put the wine down, put the food down, put the presents down....put the credit card down. Take a breath and look around at the atmosphere, the people you are with, your children, your pets. Spend time. Turn off your phones & just be with the people who are with you.....you can talk to the others another day.

This is how I feel. Hubby and I aren't showering each other with gifts this year, and I am sure the stores hate us for it. Who cares. I am perfectly happy if we don't buy each other a thing. Love is all we need.

Baby A on the other hand is going to enjoy her new toy kitchen, and mommy & daddy are going to have a lot of home cooked meals prepared by Chef Baby A :) 

Do you feel the holidays have become too much about consumerism? Do you feel the need to BUY BUY BUY? Do you have trouble finding uninterupted time on the holidays with your children because of phone calls & texts?

Please share below! I would love to hear from you!! All opinions welcome!!

Weider Pro 6900 Review {Video}

My first ever VLOG!!

All opinions are true and my own, as always!

*Happy Dance*

Let me know what you think.

I did not receive compensation for this review, review is of a product I already own. Special thanks to Hubby for putting it together!

Enjoy!

Let me know if you would like to see VLOGs on recipes, or anything else! Leave your feedback in the comments! 

I always love to read your comments!

You saw the Weider Pro 6900 Review {Video} post first on reinventing-lolli.blogspot.com

My Message To Humanity.....

I was asked, 'If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large number of people, what would your message be?'

Here is my response:

I want to spread the message of ReInvention far across the world.

 We can change things. We deserve change. We just have to wake

up and DO IT.

Will you join me?

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

(The background image is from one of our nature hikes and the person in the picture is me)

Happening's Around The Re-Invented Household.: Work Outs, Baby A, Garden Damage, and More!

There has been a lot going on here. I have been super busy with Baby A. She has been learning new things daily. She says "shoulder" "baby doll" "bye bye now" and "help me". I love that she  says "help me" because it is easier to know when she needs my help with things. 

She has been coloring a lot with crayons and side walk chalk. Her brain seems to  be developing at such a fast pace. 

Her baby doll goes everywhere, even the bath tub.

I feel especially good about her development knowing that she is still getting breast milk from a bottle and we are feeding her whole foods, and not the processed kinds.

She will be 18 months old tomorrow~!

Keep an eye out on my blog for my 1 1/2 year progress pictures! I am fitter than ever, although it doesn't show as much as I would like. The reason it doesn't show as much is because the skin on my stomach still has not snapped back. Any other mommies of 1 year old+ dealing with loose skin still? I am feeling a bit self conscious of this issue.

I have been working a lot on organizing our home and our paper work. Getting our life in order has been such a rewarding process. It is not only the physical process of sorting but also the emotional freedom of getting rid of unneeded things. It also feels good to know where everything is at. I was super organized before Baby A, but since her birth my organization went south. Now I am finally getting back on track and it is wonderful to be my organized Type A self again.

I have been working hard in the gym, as has Hubby. We both have changed up our routines and upped our weights. Seeing progress again is so rewarding.

Loading up the weights, not all on yet, but I leg press 250#.

I suffered from acne for years....bad acne. I recently discovered that even natural  sugars make my acne worse. I have long gotten rid of all processed sugars. I noticed a correlation between when I would eat honey or a high sugar fruit and when I would get a major breakout. Now that I have drastically limited my natural sugar intake, my skin is clearing up and I am not getting the major breakouts that I used to.

My skin isn't perfect, but it is getting there! I don't have to wear foundation anymore.

I now keep my sugar intake to 2 bananas a day, and not much else. I chose bananas because they are great for before and after workouts...muscle recovery and limiting soreness.

The garden is doing well despite the roofers dumping shingles all over it! I will be continuing to update you on that. No progress on the avocado trees though, I am thinking the pits we have are duds...that can happen. We will try growing some more pits and see what happens. I would love to have an avocado tree indoors,

The damage left behind by the roofers! This is AFTER first time I cleaned up their mess.

It was supposed to thunderstorm the past several weeks, and still has not stormed yet. The humidity is horrible, but thankfully it is not taking a huge toll on my fibromyalgia!

I honestly think that the Immortal Velvet Hubby and I started taking 2 weeks ago has really made the difference. I feel that it is very anti-inflammatory. It is still too early to tell yet how extensive the benefits are, but it is definitely doing something. I do not feel the muscle fatigue in my work outs like I used to, I am feeling stronger.

We buy this from Surthrival.com. This is the Immortal Velvet Silver.

I quit taking my allergy medicine (Allegra) I have pretty severe allergies and asthma that is flared by my allergies. I however really want to see if I can get my body to build its own defenses. I really feel that the allergy medicine was holding my body back on being healthy. I am completely medication free ( someone who 7 years ago was taking 8 pharmaceuticals a day!). I am living proof that going off medications can improve health. It is not for everyone, but it is working for me. 

How are you? 

What is going on in your life?

I would love to get to know my readers. Though I do not know you, I care about each and every one of you. 

Please comment below if you would like to share some exciting news or even depressing news about your life. I am always here to listen.

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

PS- The measurement for the lemon juice in the hummus should be 1/4 not 1/3. I apologize for the typo. I will correct it in the recipe.

Nature Walks, Rediscovering Self, and The Joy of Being a Parent.

not my photo. forgot to take forest pictures i was having too much fun. enjoy this stock photo instead.

This is one of those posts where I ramble...so stick with me if you don't mind.

I just had the most incredible weekend....and it didn't cost money.

It was like a vacation, a mini vacation, one where you still get to sleep in your own bed and get home for dinner on time. The best kind of vacation in my mind.

Hubby and I took Baby A out into nature. We have been making it a goal to get as much sunshine and fresh air in our lives as possible. Every single day that it is not raining or snowing or storming, we are outside, even if a bit chilly out...we just bundle up and get outside.

It is refreshing to get outdoors after a long winter, especially with how bad a toll the weather took on my body. My pain levels were high and my mobility limited....but with the weather getting nicer and going outside, I am feeling better!

It is amazing how God has provided us with such a beautiful planet.

Walking through the forest, doing a little climbing, searching for chaga ( and possibly finding some but not on a birch, and high up so have to go back?!), and walking by streams....it was a fairy tale experience.

Anyone who knows me, knows that when I was younger, I did not want anything to do with nature. I was your typical junk food, sterilized environment, trendy, full faced makeup kind of person. I was this way up until I started to change my life in late 2006. I have very slowly and gradually gotten back into health and nature. It is really only this year ( and the end of the summer last year), that I have truly appreciated and taken advantage of the beauty and benefits of nature.

image from redbubble.net

That being said, I have to make a point to those who care less about nature, PLEASE STOP THROWING YOUR POP CANS, PLASTIC BAGS, GARBAGE, AND MCDONALD'S CUPS (or any other trash), INTO NATURE. I cannot believe how much junk I saw just tossed into the beautiful areas where we hiked. In addition, in one park, I saw someone dumped trash just a few feet away from the garbage can....PURE LAZINESS.

Now that my rant is over, I have to say that spending almost the entire weekend in nature with Hubby and Baby A, I feel so much more connected to my family.

My little family is such a blessing to me. Seeing how content Baby A was and watching her learn new things outside was so exciting to me. I feel lucky to be a mother.

The rest of the weekend was filled with late night runs to Walmart in search of a ball pit. Which we successfully...did not find....:( It seems a lot of ball pits are being discontinued? I checked Targets website and did not see any in stock either. It looks like a trip to ToysRUs may be in order. I love the ball pit because it encourages activity and imagination without her face glued to a screen all day.

this is what Baby A's ball pit looks like. It sprung a leak, but I can't seem to find anywhere else. image from target.com

On the plus side we found a filing cabinet while we were out shopping, it locks too which will be perfect with our daughter as she likes to open and close drawers. I can finally get my paperwork organized.

not my photo. this is what my filing cabinet looks like but minus the wheels.

Another great part of the weekend was on Saturday when I got an intense 1 hour of weight training in at the gym and 20 min. HIIT work out on the treadmill. I felt so alive and accomplished.

Over the past several years I have been on a long journey to rediscovering myself. I really hope that you will browse the blog. Even over the past year I have changed drastically ( just check my recipes, there is something for people of all walks in their healthy journey). I am continuing to change and get back into nature.

Life is too short not to appreciate the beauty of the wonder in our childrens eyes when they see a cardinal or a blue jay. The excitement of finding something difficult to find. The adventure of exploration. The comfort of being with family. The energy and warmth of the sun on your face. 

Get outside. Get moving. Replenish your body with nutrients. Grow.

This was one of the best weekends ever. I hope every weekend will

be as good as this one.

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Health & Fitness with Fibromyalgia.

not my photo. image googled from around web.

When I was 16 years old, I couldn't walk up the stairs at school without falling. I was dizzy. I didn't notice when classmates said hi to me in the hall...I was in a fog. I fell asleep in all my classes. I couldn't sleep at night because I was in pain....all the time.

I went to a specialist and found out why I had all these symptoms.

I have fibromyalgia. 

17 out of 18 "tender points" ( tender points are a  part of how they diagnose)

Fast forward to today. I am 27 years old. I am so much happier and healthier than I was at 16. I would never go back to 16.

I still have problems though.

At 24 years old....

After figuring out that I had Celiac & removing gluten from my diet, a lot of my symptoms nearly disappeared. I was exercising  5 days a week, sometimes twice a day. I felt good. I did have days where I was sick, but they were few and far between.

When I was pregnant with Baby A at 25, I started to feel fibro symptoms on a more regular basis. Pregnancy aggravated my health condition quite a bit. This made exercise hard, so I relied a lot on yoga and walking in the later part of my pregnancy.

Since having Baby A, my fibro has remained aggravated. I believe that breastfeeding had some to do with it. Simply because my body was working so hard to make enough milk for Baby A. This winter has been a hard winter. The back and forth weather, the air pressure and temperature changes have really taken a toll. As a result my workouts have also taken a hit.

I missed a cardio workout and a weightlifting workout this week. I didn't feel well enough to run 6 miles or leg press more than my body weight. I couldn't even stand for more than a few minutes.

My hands and feet felt like they were on fire, and they were so swollen ( like if I was 9 months pregnant swollen!). I had pain over my entire body, and the worst part I was so exhausted, yet I could not sleep through the night. 

It can be difficult to stay fit with fibromyalgia, but I am dedicated to my fitness plan.

Eating a clean, healthy diet and taking my vitamins has made a dramatic impact. Even though my fibromyalgia has been bad this winter, it doesn't even come close to what it was when I was a teenager. 

If I didn't eat clean or workout, I wouldn't be able to be a good mom to my daughter. 

Do you have fibromyalgia? What do you do to help yourself?

I went the pharmaceuticals route when I was younger, and it was a big disappointment. There was no relief at all. Now, I am looking for natural ways of relieving that pain and swelling and exhaustion. I have found that yoga helps on the days I do yoga. I am also looking into essential oils for relief. I have read that eating pineapple and avoiding eggplant can also be helpful. I will be exploring these natural options further, and hopefully posting about them on my blog if interest is expressed in reading it. 

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Eating Too Much Sugar Can Be Damaging To The Brain.

not my photo. image from dailygossip.org

Many of you who read  this blog know that Hubby and I gave up added sugars in our food. We did this for many reasons, the biggest reason being that sugar is really bad for our health.

Since we have given up refined sugars, I have seen a lot more news about how bad refined/added sugars are for your health.

Naturally occuring sugars in fruits and some grains aren't the issue. It is the ADDED sugars that are the problem.

I read in this article that eating added sugars can cause memory problems and difficulty learning! This happens because eating the added sugar reduced the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  Low levels of this chemical also contribute to type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

It also mentioned that low levels of BDNF can lead to depression and dementia.

Read more of the article here.

Read the research here.

Maybe this will help you to think twice before indulging in too many sweet treats! 

What are your thoughts on this article and the research behind it?

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

New BeachBody Workouts To Be Released!

As some one who loved ChaLean Extreme work outs, and is familiar with P90X. I was pleased to find out that BeachBody is coming out with 3 more work out series!

Although I have not had a chance to try them, I am very excited to share this information with my readers.

3 new work outs are set to be released soon! 

The 3 workouts are (click on titles to view more):

•   Insanity Asylum Volume 2 
•   Les Mills Combat
•  Brazil Butt Lift Master Series

The Asylum 2 looks really interesting to me as it is based on mostly sports drills! 

Les Mills combat incorporates various martial arts styles and intervals to create it's body sculpting work outs!

 Brazil Butt Lift Master Series takes the Brazilian Butt Lift up a notch, so all you Brazilian Butt Lift ladies, can move up to the advanced level once you have mastered the original Butt Lift series!

Beach Body has always had great fitness DVD's, and I am pretty sure these will be no exception. I look forward to seeing these workouts when they are available!


Be sure to click on the titles to view the links to the Beachbody website! There you can view the preview videos, and sign up to make sure that you are notified when they are released! You don't want to miss out!

Check out beachbody.com today.

What Beach Body DVD's have you tried?

Be Happy Healthy and Strong,

Lolli

*This is a sponsored post written strictly by the links provided to me by Beach Body. I have only viewed previews and descriptions of these products. I received no products or compensation for my "review". I have not tried these products. I wrote my honest opinion on what I read and saw in the previews. Photos are not mine and are from beachbody.com, used with permission.*

New Gym Routine!

Wow!! I have to say that I was worried about if I could wake up at 5 am to work out. However, I did it!!

I previously worked out Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 6-730/745 pm. I found that this was cutting into family time in the evenings. I also wanted to start working out 5 days a week, which would bring my work out frequency back to what it was before I got pregnant with Baby A.

Now that Baby A is 9 months old I am working even harder at getting my body into the shape I want it to be.

This week started my new workout schedule.

Monday- 530-630 pm
Tuesday- 515 - 630 am
Wednesday- 530-630 pm
Thursday- 515 - 630 am
Friday- OFF
Saturday- 8 am - 930 am
Sunday- OFF

I am really excited about this new schedule as I will be able to separate cardio & weights most days. I also discovered today that the morning crowd at the gym has WAY better gym etiquette than the evening crowd, which is a HUGE bonus!! The gym is busy on Tuesday mornings but not crowded which is nice. The evening time was so crowded that the benches and cardio machines were almost always full and I was always bumping into people. It makes working out uncomfortable when Its that crowded.

I look forward to getting into a new routine. It was very difficult to wake up early this morning but sooo worth it. I am hoping this routine shows the benefits that I expect!

What is your gym routine? Do you ever switch it up?

Be Happy Healthy & Strong!

Lolli

Get In An Extra Calorie Burn Today!!

Get in a workout today if you can!! 

I did this as an extra, just-for-fun workout!

My 7 month old daughter clapped for me almost the entire time! Too cute :)

Go Here: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/shaun-ts-miracle-15-minute-workout

Did you work out today? If so, I wanna hear about it! 

Leave it in the comments below. Let be healthy together :) 

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Fit At Any Age :)

This woman is truly an inspiration to me. 

As someone who lifts regularly at the gym & eats clean, I have a lot of respect for her.

I love that she treats her body right & gives God the glory  for it.

I hope that you were inspired too!

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Where Sugar Lurks & Avoiding Sweet Chemical Soup Part 3

What can you eat then?

In our home we like to substitute with honey & stevia.

Some people also like to use agave nectar & pure maple syrup.

These natural sugars ( as well as fruit ) are considered the "good sugars".

Here's the low down on these:

• Honey is sweeter than sugar, meaning you can use less of it to get a sweet taste. Honey also contains vitamins & minerals, and may even help with digestion! Honey is also less processed and is natural.
• Stevia appears to have no effect on blood glucose levels. It is also heat stable. It is natural. It has 0 calories. There are still studies being done on stevia, however it has been used for a long time in Japan and Brazil.
• Agave is derived from a plant in Mexico. Some agave is highly processed and other agave is not, it is best to go with agave that has little processing. There is still ongoing research on agave. 
• Maple Syrup is a good source of Manganese. It can also be a good support to the heart and the immune system. Must be 100% pure maple syrup though.

Whatever you use, whether it be honey or stevia, or any of the other natural sweeteners...it is important to know that even though "good sugar", they are still a form of sugar, and are best used in moderation.

As for white sugar, brown sugar, HFCS, and chemical sugar substitutes, I would like to see these eliminated from your diet. 

It can be hard, but there are alternatives to the sugar laden products.

A conversion chart for sugar & stevia.

Eventually after removing bad sugars from your life, you will slowly stop craving them. It takes time, but our bodies have been conditioned over the years to crave the unhealthy sugars.

Here are some great products that don't contain bad sugar:

• Organic Cucina Antica Low Fat Italiano dressing (GF): sweetened with honey!
• Frank's Red Hot Sauce Original : No sweeteners
• Krema Natural Smooth & Creamy peanut butter: The only ingredient is peanuts!
• Del Grosso Hot Salsa Chunky Style (GF): No sweeteners!
• Dei Fratelli  Petite Diced Tomatoes (GF): All natural and no sweeteners! Be sure to read labels though because a couple of their products do contain sugar.
• OrganicVille Pomegranate Organic Vinaigrette (GF) : sweetened with agave! 
• Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (GF): no sweeteners! Do read labels however because I did see sugar in some of their other broths.
• Organicville Organic Ketchup (GF/VEGAN): sweetened with agave.

Just say NO to sugar.

Want to know more about sugar? Please read the sites below. These are some of the sites I used as resources for the entire series.

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Resources:
http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/how-sugar-affects-your-body.aspx
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073
http://www.everydiet.org/1001/sugar-and-artificial-sugar-facts
http://www.theironyou.com/2012/01/stevia-good-or-bad.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=115
http://bodyecology.com/articles/25_reasons_to_avoid_sugar.php
http://www.alive.com/articles/view/16577/good_sugars_bad_sugars
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all
http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/stevia.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-effects-of-sugar?page=3
http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/honeyhistory.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/023085_sugar_fat_fats.html
http://rippedfitlife.com/content/6-foods-hidden-sugar
http://dailyrightsweet.blogspot.com/
..and more. I did a lot of reading!

If you would like to watch a video about sugar & why it's bad, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM (Sugar: The Bitter Truth)

( it's 1 hr 37 min long)

Disclaimer here.

Where Sugar Lurks & Avoiding Sweet Chemical Soup Part 2

In my last post I mentioned many places where refined sugar lurks.

I also mentioned that it is usually replaced by chemical artificial sweeteners.

So why is refined sugar bad for you?

Here's what constant sugar intake can do to the human body:

• Lowers good cholesterol & raises triglycerides
• Can lead to heart disease
• Can cause obesity
• Can lead to diabetes
• It can suppress the immune system leaving you more susceptible to a host of diseases

I am talking about sugar made from sugar cane. I am not talking about natural sugars aka. "good sugars" from honey, maple syrup, or fruit.

It's not just white sugar that's bad though.

Brown sugar & molasses are no different. Molasses is basically "leftovers" from the processing of white sugar, and brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in.

Why are chemical sweeteners bad for you?

• They are chemical, not natural
• They are suspected to possibly cause cancer
• Aspartame contains methanol and can be metbolized by your body into formaldehyde
• can cause headaches/migraines
• may affect thyroid function

None of these sound good. 
It is also possible that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain because they can cause the body to crave more food.

 Maybe this is making you re-think the diet cola you may have drank this morning?

So what can you eat?

What can you do?

Read more in part 3.

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

~Resources can be found in Part 3

~Disclaimer here.

Where Sugar Lurks & Avoiding Sweet Chemical Soup Part 1

Sugar.

It's everywhere.

Hubby and I switched to natural and organic foods a long time ago. We used honey and stevia to sweeten our homemade desserts and didn't buy the sugary ones in the store.

We were doing well, or so we thought. 

Then we watched Hungry for Change, and it made us think. What about all of our other food? Is there sugar there?

We had avoided HFCS in all of our foods. We refused to touch High Fructose Corn Syrup. However, we never thought to check the labels for sugar.

Guess what....?

Recently we went through our cabinets & started pulling things off the shelves. Re-reading the labels. As a label reader, I couldn't believe I had some how overlooked this!

We found sugar in all of these items:

• Salad dressing ( yep, even italian!)
• Worchestershire sauce
• Steak sauce
• Dijon Mustard
• Pizza sauce
• and other items.

We were shocked.

On our next shopping trip we decided to find alternative brands without sugar. Believe it or not, we could not find a worchestershire or steak sauce without sugar. Not one. Not even the natural organic kinds. There was nothing.

We had stopped buying BBQ sauce a while ago due to the fact we couldn't find one without junk in it.

This is sad.

Other places where sugar lurked as we browsed the grocery shelves:

• Tortilla chips
• BBQ sauce
• Ketchup ( even the organic & natural varieties)
• canned diced tomatoes
• canned corn
• yogurts

I always knew that there was sugar in a lot of foods. HFCS I knew lurked in many places (we discovered that when we eliminated it from our diet). Hubby and I didn't eat sweets for the simple reason of avoiding sugar, but we found refined white sugar in nearly everything as we walked through the store.

There are the obvious places where sugar lurks:

• Ice cream
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Pie
• Brownies
• Fudge
• Breads
• Cupcakes
• Streusel
• Soda
• Juice boxes
• Sweet tea

But it doesn't end there.

Sugar is bad for you. 
But so are artificial sweeteners.

Some of the artificial sweeteners are:

• Aspartame
• Acesulfame potassium 
• Neotame
• Saccharin
• Sucralose
• ...and others

You may see these as Equal, Splenda, Sweet N Low, NutraSweet, etc. 

These are no good either.
It seems that the items touting "sugar free" labels, contained chemicals.
Great......{sarcasm}

I don't want to consume those either. 

More on why I don't like artificial sweeteners & why to avoid sugar in Part 2

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

~Resources can be found in Part 3.

~Disclaimer here.

My Relationship with [Fast] Food (Part 3)

The bigger changes in my life...

My relationship with Fast Food had dwindled drastically. Hubby and I were only eating out occasionally now, and had given up soda all together. 

Our snacks were still junky and I was addicted to bread. I loved anything baked....bread, brownies, donuts, you name it. I also couldn't pass up a York Peppermint Pattie or a 3 Musketeers bar. 

Hubby had said " No way am I ever going to eat that bird seed sh*t" in the beginning, but this was all about to change for him too.

While getting healthier and moving more toward clean eating, I was getting sicker. Fast food made me sick, but healthy food made me sicker. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I felt like maybe I should give up on clean eating, seeing as how I was eating everything in sight and still losing weight. I weighed 89 lbs. I was exercising and not gaining muscle.

Then I saw a video on bodybuilding.com ( my new favorite site at the time), it was about a female bodybuilder who had Celiac. 

I didn't know what gluten was before this. So I decided to cut gluten & dairy out of my diet...on Thanksgiving 2009.

And long story short. I felt better. Actually, I felt the best I had ever felt in my life. I ate less, I gained weight ( I weighed 98 lbs. after being gluten free only a couple months). If you want to know more, then please click here. 

Around the same time, Hubby had revelations in his own life that caused him to start to look at what he was eating too. 

We started following the Eat Clean Diet. We ate more brown rice & only gluten free breads on occasion. Our snacks started to clean up too. We allowed ourselves 1 cheat snack a week. Just ONE!  We even started taking vitamins and supplements.

So now we were eating clean :) 

It felt good.

And guess what we still made more changes to our diet.

What? Could you get any healthier? 

YES.

And we did. 

Going to the "extremes" with healthy eating & feeling the best we ever had !! 

Part 4....Where we are now.

And then be sure to come back for Part 5, of how YOU can change your life!! 

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Extended Breastfeeding?

Ok, since so many people are talking about this, I had to give my two cents.

The 26 year old mother in this picture is breastfeeding her son who is 3 years old.

You can read an interview with her here.

There have been all sorts of comments and controversy over this cover already. Moms have been debating the topic of "extended breastfeeding" for a long time, so, it came as no surprise to me that moms would be divided over this cover as well. 

First off, I want to applaud Jamie for her natural parenting. Seeing as she was breastfed herself until 6 years old, it seems only right that she would want her children to have the same "bond" and health benefits that she did growing up.

How this applies to me:

While I applaud other mothers for extended breastfeeding, I tend to not believe one way or the other. I believe that each mother should do what is best for them and their child. I think all mothers who are physically able should consider breastfeeding at least in the short term. 

After all, breastmilk is the best thing for babies in my opinion.

Regarding Baby A, I will breastfeed extendedly...kind of. I plan to breastfeed Baby A for the 1st year,during this time I pump and save milk, so that she can get breastmilk through a bottle or sippy cup, after the 1st year mark. I personally think that once a child is old enough to drink from a cup, that is where they should get their milk from. This is because my personal comfortability is that. That is where I draw the line with my child. 

In general I do believe that breastfeeding a school aged child is a little far, but I have no issues with children receiving breastmilk served in a cup. To me a child receiving breastmilk is ENTIRELY better than drinking cows milk ( which is completely unnatural ) and has numerous benefits to a child's health and development. 

Again though, I do not judge parents for wanting what is best for their child. 

I saw several comments related to the article. These comments were enfuriating to me.  People were calling it "child abuse" to breastfeed a 3 year old?? How in the world do they justify such harsh comments? 

Here's my two cents on the commenters:

One, grow up. Two, it is more child abuse to feed your child junk food and fast food, and deprive them of nutrition knowingly than it will EVER be to feed your child nutritious breastmilk because you CARE. Though I hardly believe that fast food is child abuse either ( althought it is careless & unhealthy ). Just making the point that people need to stop with the judging and applaud each other for their hard efforts as parents.

Thoughts on the cover picture?

I think it's fine, the chair is a little much...might have been better if she were holding him. I get a "strong moms" vibe off of the picture though, or "taking a stance for natural parenting".  Some people get a "sexual" vibe off of the picture, but I don't see that. I think people are reading a little much into it.

So, are you "mom enough" to breastfeed?

That's all for now.

Leave your comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts.
FYI, keep it respectful & clean. 

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Weekend Randomness: Bring Food Education Back!

I saw this infographic & had to share!

Have a great weekend!

*Be Happy Healthy & Strong!*

♥

Lolli

by FoodRevolution. Browse more infographics.

Mission: Getting My Body Back After Baby (13)

Baby A is 20 weeks old!! Time is flying, and progress is slowing. This can be discouraging at times as I would just like my pre-baby body back. People keep reminding me it hasn't been long, but patience definitely isn't easy.

(To read her birth story, click on the Pregnancy & Parenting tab)

Check my previous posts for week 8 through 12 weigh ins!

Week 13 I weighed in at 110.2 and 28 inch waist

Week 14 I weighed in at 107.8 lbs. and 27 1/4 inch waist

Week 15 I weighed in at 107.2 lbs and 27 inch waist

Week 16 I weighed in at 106.4 ;bs. and 27 inch waist

Week 17 I weighed in at 105.4 lbs. and 26 1/2 inch waist

Week 18 I weighed  in a  105.4 lbs.and 26 1/8 inch waist
Week 19 I weighed in at 104.4 lbs. and 26 inch waist


Week 20 Weigh in: 


103.4 lbs.
26 in. waist ( same)

I am really happy about the 1 lb. loss, although I have to admit I would have been happier if I lost some inches! But a loss is a loss!

Here are this weeks progress pictures:  

Thank you for following me on my journey to getting my body back!

❤

 Lolli

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Like what you read? 

Vote for me by clicking on this button!

Want to read parts 1 through 12 of my journey?  Go to the Health & Fitness tab to find them!

Home Workout Equipment That I Love!

Working out at home with videos can get boring after a while, especially if you are someone who knows what they are doing. 

Here are some ideas for home workout equipment that can be used in a small home or apartment! Almost all of these can be stored under the bed if needed!

1. Mini Stepper for cardio. I love mine. It is almost the same, only it's red & a different brand name. But it has all the same features and was about the same price! Get the benefits of a stepper without taking up all the space. Especially great if you don't have a gym membership &  great if the weather doesn't permit a long walk.

Approx. $40-60 price range depending on brand/store

Target @ $49.50


2. Free Weights! These are great for building muscle!! I like to have a variety of different dumbbells in my home. 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 15 lbs, and 20 lbs are all great  sizes to keep around! There are lots of different dumbbells with  different price points, but I have some of the Reebok ones and I love them.

3. Weight lifting Gloves are also great!  I like to lift until my muscles are sore, not until my hands are sore, and hands get sore quick without gloves! Plus they help if you are someone who gets slippery hands when lifting.

There are many different brands to try. find what's best for you!


Target  @ $12.59


4.  Stability Balls, I love my stability ball for crunches & angled chest presses and flyes. There are so many uses for a balance ball!  I have seen them in many stores, including Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. Prices typically ranging from $20-30.

 

5. A great free tool for those wanting to work out with their own routine and not video, I like the bodbuilding.com "Your Best Body" plan. I think it's great for those who don't know how to build a workout routine, but aren't into workout videos.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/

6. Pull Up Bar, these are great for getting in pull ups in a variety of grips, but also for doing leg lifts if you have the ab straps.


I have seen these @ $24 and up

7. If you are a workout video person, I absolutely love ChaLean Extreme. In my opinion it's the best workout video system I have tried.



http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/chalean_extreme.do

These are just what I have used at home when I am I not at the gym. I love to change things up and always am looking for new fitness products to try. Actually the Journey Gym looks pretty cool and I would love to try that sometime. 

What do you like to use when you workout at home? 

Is there something you would add to this list?

♥

Lolli

Disclaimer : These are all just products I like, I am in no way associated with stores or any of these brands. Prices are always subject to change and were current at the time this was posted. Always talk to your healthcare provider before working out, and use common sense when using workout equipment. Use fitness equipment at your own risk.